Seeing someone closing in behind them, Hua Ruoying yanked Qingping along and sprinted deeper into the peach grove. As she ran, she pulled a veil from her robes and tied it over her face without breaking stride.
She knew better than to let the people of the Liao Yin Immortal Realm remember what she looked like.
They hadn't made it far when a sharp whistle cut through the air—
Something flew at her from behind.
Hua Ruoying twisted sideways. The weapon skimmed past, slicing the edge of her veil before embedding itself with a dull thunk.
So he wasn't letting them go.
She snapped her head back, signaling Qingping with a glance to hide.
A figure drifted down, light as falling snow, and retrieved the short blade with a flick of his fingers.
"Who are you?" his voice was calm—too calm.
"None of your business." Hua Ruoying didn't waste breath. She spun and flung several poisoned needles in one smooth motion.
The man didn't even blink. He shifted half a step aside, letting the needles pass harmlessly, and in the same instant Hua Ruoying's short dagger swept in.
Her blade reached his chest—
He returned his body to center and struck first.
A palm slammed squarely into her sternum.
Pain detonated inside her like a broken bell. Blood surged into her throat. The world pitched; her legs went light. She stumbled backward, forced into retreat by sheer loss of balance.
Before she could recover, something snapped around her ankle.
She looked down—too late.
Her body jerked violently as she was dragged across the ground, heels carving furrows through grass and soil.
"Immortal-binding Chain…!" she choked out.
The man's wrist turned. The chain tightened and yanked her back like a hooked fish. Hua Ruoying flipped, stomach to earth, clawing at the ground to stop herself, but the pull didn't slow.
She was hauled straight to his feet.
His boot came down on her back with crushing force, pinning her flat. Hua Ruoying tried to rise, but her ribs screamed and the chain at her ankle burned—skin searing as if branded.
"Listening where you shouldn't," the man said, leaning down, "means you can't be left alive."
Two fingers lifted.
The Immortal-binding Chain snapped up from her ankle to her throat—coiling in a vicious loop—and hauled her upright.
Air vanished.
Hua Ruoying's hands flew to her neck. Her fingertips dug into the chain and then into her own skin, trying to pry it loose. Blood seeped from the corner of her mouth, soaking through the veil.
No… this chain is wrong.
In the choking haze, her instincts screamed.
It's tainted. Poisoned.
If the chain didn't strangle her, the toxin smeared into its spiritual metal would rot through her meridians and leave her crippled, if not dead.
Who can refine immortal sect aura into poison like this?
She and Qingping were nowhere near his level.
The man watched her struggle with an almost pleasurable focus, eyes bright with a predator's delight, mouth curved into something that resembled a smile only in shape.
Then a gust of wind swept through Peach Blossom Grove—
And Hua Ruoying's veil tore free, fluttering down like a fallen petal.
The man froze.
"It's her."
His grip faltered, his expression blanked for a heartbeat as if he'd been struck by recognition.
From the brush, Qingping seized the moment. He hurled a pellet of dark mist.
The man reacted on instinct, raising his sleeve to cover his mouth and nose.
The chain loosened.
Hua Ruoying dropped hard, coughing blood as she hit the ground.
Qingping's body collapsed into shadow-wind—an ink-black blur that wrapped around Hua Ruoying, lifting her like smoke gathering into a storm. In the blink of an eye, both of them vanished.
When the poisonous haze thinned, the man stared at the empty patch of ground where she had fallen.
Instead of anger, the corner of his mouth lifted.
"How did you end up here…?"
Qingping stumbled back to the cabin with Hua Ruoying in his arms. His knees almost gave out as he carried her inside and laid her gently on the bed.
He fumbled for the quilt, tugged it up around her shoulders, and wiped the blood from her lips with his sleeve, clumsy and frantic.
"Ruoying-jie… wake up," he whispered, voice trembling. "Please wake up."
At Mirror Cloud Residence, Li Luoning sat with an ancient tome open in one hand while his other hand copied passages onto paper in neat, steady strokes.
"Qingyi," he asked without looking up, "what do you think of that Hua Ruoying?"
Yun Qingyi paused, then answered carefully. "Master means… the half-demon from that day?"
"You noticed as well." Li Luoning's brush didn't slow. "She herself seems unaware of it. I sensed no seal on her demon power, either."
Yun Qingyi frowned. "Then Master brought them back… for another reason?"
"Nian said she and Qingping were the ones who rescued him before." Li Luoning's tone remained even, but his gaze sharpened. "If that's true, then the one who tried to breach the barrier that day… may also have been her."
Yun Qingyi's expression tightened. "Master suspects she's targeting Nian?"
"I hope not." Li Luoning set his brush down for the first time. "But running into him again and again isn't coincidence."
"Should I keep watch on her?" Yun Qingyi asked.
"No." Li Luoning's eyes drifted to the small herb packet Hua Ruoying had given him earlier. "If she truly came for Nian'er, she will approach him herself. We'll wait and see."
At dinner, Mi Xingzhe barely touched his rice. He poked at the grains, lost in thought, replaying the day in fragments—her voice, her scent, the way her eyes looked when the light caught them—
A foolish smile kept slipping onto his face.
"Nian Nian." Yun Qingyi called twice. No response. He reached over and nudged Mi Xingzhe's shoulder.
Mi Xingzhe blinked, startled. "Ah—what is it, Senior Brother?"
"You're not eating. What are you grinning at like an idiot?" Yun Qingyi demanded.
Mi Xingzhe stared dreamily into space. "Brother… have you ever seen pink bubbles?"
That earned a rare pause from Li Luoning as well. His chopsticks halted midair, and he turned with a baffled look.
"Pink… bubbles?" Yun Qingyi repeated, equally blank.
Mi Xingzhe didn't notice either of them. He kept talking, utterly sincere. "Like… peach-blossom bubbles. Floating in the peach grove. All sparkly."
Li Luoning understood immediately. His lips pressed together, amusement flickering at the edges of his expression. He shook his head gently and resumed eating as though nothing had happened.
Yun Qingyi glanced at his master's reaction, then at Mi Xingzhe's blissful grin—and understood too.
Early the next morning, Li Luoning went alone to the cabin in Peach Blossom Grove, deliberately avoiding Mi Xingzhe. He intended to probe Hua Ruoying quietly.
Qingping stepped out, rubbing his eyes—and stiffened when he recognized the visitor.
"You're… the young master's master?" he asked.
Li Luoning nodded. "I am Xiao Yi. Is Miss Ruoying in today?"
Qingping's face crumpled. "Ruoying-jie… she's hurt."
"Hurt?" Li Luoning's gaze sharpened.
"Yesterday, after we split from the young master, we went to gather herbs," Qingping said, words tumbling out in a rush. "We ran into two people talking in secret. They noticed us. When we tried to escape… Ruoying-jie protected me, and that man injured her. She still hasn't woken up."
"Let me see her," Li Luoning said, voice steady.
"Yes—yes! This way please." Qingping latched onto the offer like a drowning man to driftwood.
Inside, Hua Ruoying lay on the bed, her face drained of color.
Li Luoning examined her briefly, then his brows drew together. He took out a precious pill—Zihan Shuo Pearl—and fed it to her.
Lethal.
The injury was calculated, each strike angled to kill.
If I hadn't come today… she would've been bedridden for half a month, if she woke at all.
"Immortal Xiao Yi… will Ruoying-jie be okay?" Qingping asked, near tears.
"Her inner strength is damaged, and poison has entered her body." Li Luoning spoke with calm authority. "I've stabilized her heart meridians and given her medicine. Her life is not in danger for now, but she must rest. I'll have more medicine delivered in the next few days. Make sure she takes it on time."
Qingping nodded furiously, relief flooding his face.
Li Luoning's eyes narrowed. "Did you see who attacked her?"
"I… I didn't get a clear look." Qingping swallowed. "One wore a white cloak. The other was a very handsome older brother, and he had a pale purple forehead ribbon."
"A forehead ribbon?" Li Luoning repeated, the words sinking like a stone.
A name surfaced in his mind without invitation.
O Shinan.
His gaze drifted to Hua Ruoying's clenched fist. It looked as if she'd been holding something even in unconsciousness.
Li Luoning stepped closer and pried her hand open.
A small scrap of cloth lay in her palm—pale violet.
At a cliff somewhere along Cloud Ridge, O Shinan met once again with the white-cloaked figure from that day.
"Did you catch the eavesdropper?" the cloaked figure asked, voice cold.
O Shinan bowed with his hands clasped, smiling faintly. "Just an insignificant nobody. It won't affect anything."
The white cloak's hood lifted.
SiTu Fanzhi's face was revealed.
"Cut weeds at the root," he said quietly. "If word leaks, our plan will collapse."
O Shinan's smile held. "Those two… I still have use for them later."
SiTu Fanzhi's eyes darkened. "And the Dragon King?"
"The Soul-Gathering Lamp has been obtained," O Shinan answered.
SiTu Fanzhi nodded once.
"Li Luoning's little disciple has been fed the Puppeteer Pill." O Shinan's voice softened, almost conversational. "A controllable puppet. Does the Immortal Sovereign have plans for him?"
"Not yet." SiTu Fanzhi's gaze turned distant. "There's something else I need you to do."
He gestured for O Shinan to lean closer—and whispered.
At Lianzhan Pavilion, an immortal soldier rushed inside to report.
"What?" Qingyuan's face tightened. "It escaped?"
The report said the corrupted Tu Lou they had captured had fled during the night.
Yue Ruling frowned. "That Tu Lou was guarded so tightly—how could it have slipped away so easily?"
"Reporting, War God," the soldier said, kneeling. "Last night someone infiltrated the dungeon, drugged the guards, and released it. When we searched the site, we found this where the Tu Lou had been held."
He presented an item.
Qingyuan's hand slammed onto the table. "Send people to search immediately. Inform every patrol unit—inspect all who enter and leave. Track the Tu Lou at any cost."
"Yes!" The soldier accepted the order and hurried out.
Qingyuan's anger simmered. "Who can enter the Liao Yin Immortal Realm's dungeon so easily?"
Yue Ruling's eyes widened. "An internal traitor?"
"I thought the Tu Lou's appearance that day was just an accident," she said quickly, thinking aloud. "But Qingyi said it nearly harmed our little junior brother. Now it's been freed so cleanly… this is not normal."
"You suspect someone brought it here on purpose?" Qingyuan asked.
Yue Ruling nodded slowly. "Tu Lou should live in Kunlun Hill under Yingzhao's watch. Yet this one escaped Kunlun, was raised to such size, and now comes and goes freely in our realm. Whoever's behind this is plotting something bigger. The Tu Lou is only a chess piece."
Qingyuan's gaze hardened. "Then from now on, be vigilant. If you see anything suspicious, report it to me immediately."
They exchanged a look—wordless, grim, and perfectly in sync—and did not say what both of them were thinking.
Back in Peach Blossom Grove's cabin, Mi Xingzhe hovered by Hua Ruoying's bedside, carefully wiping sweat from her brow and tucking the quilt around her shoulders.
"Yesterday she was fine," he murmured, voice tight. "How did she end up like this overnight?"
Qingping sat nearby, lips puffed out in a sulk. "It was your immortal sect people. Temper like thunder. We didn't even hear much, and they tried to wipe us out."
"Hey." Mi Xingzhe held up a finger. "I'm not like them. Don't lump me together."
"What's the difference?" Qingping snapped. "White robes, cultivating, talking about virtue all day… who knows what dirty business you do behind closed doors?"
Mi Xingzhe bristled. "If my master hadn't arrived in time, your Ruoying-jie would already be in the ground. You don't thank him, and you still talk like that?"
Qingping's face crumpled. His voice rose, sharp with hurt. "White-robed people can't be trusted! My father believed one of them once—and he never came back!"
Mi Xingzhe's retort died on his tongue. "Wait… your father?"
Qingping stared at the floor, eyes red. "After we fled to the Flatland, life was… okay. Then one day, a man in white came and spoke to my father. I don't know what he said. My father went out with him."
He swallowed hard.
"He never returned."
Mi Xingzhe's anger collapsed into guilt. "Qingping… I'm sorry."
Qingping glanced at Hua Ruoying, then whispered, "Young master… will she wake up?"
"She will," Mi Xingzhe said firmly, as much to himself as to Qingping. "The Zihan Shuo Pearl my master gave her is the best medicine in the Liao Yin Immortal Realm. Even Mirror Cloud Residence only has a few."
He patted Qingping's shoulder, trying to be steady.
Then Mi Xingzhe hesitated. "Qingping… did you hear what those two people were talking about? Anything at all?"
Qingping thought hard. "Something… about a golden core."
Mi Xingzhe's stomach dropped.
"A golden core…?"
A cold, sinking fear crawled up his spine.
Had someone in the Liao Yin Immortal Realm already learned about the secret inside his body?